[pct-l] Brag

[cvano at tmail.com]

Went to REI today!  This is always an adventure and a difficult 
excersise in keeping any money at all in my pocket.  Anyway, I went 
specifically to buy a new sleeping bag, my old one being 10 years old 
and lost on that mountain, cashed 6' up in a tree and now under at least 
5' of snow.

So after about an hour of laying on the floor looking like a vagrant 
with people stepping over me, while I fully tried out at least 6 bags, I 
finally decided that the 15 degree Zepher Regular was the best option 
for me.

They had ONE left with a left hand zipper.  Actually, they had one left 
of several different kinds, but some were gone, this being the end of 
the end of the year clearance.  I was lucky to get the bag I wanted to 
start with and not have to settle for less, or more money.  The pad I 
wanted (Exped 7) is lost and gone forever.

The left hand zipper... I'm right handed but have never been able to 
figure out how to bend my elbow to zip up a right hand zipper bag.  I 
had to do all kinds of contortions for 10 minutes or so, while freezing, 
just to get'er done, and then I'd remember something, spend another 5 
minutes getting out, and then have do it all over again.  With this one, 
I just reach over and zip it up.  Is this a common problem?  Has anyone 
really ever thought about this?  Does anyone really care?

As I was walking around looking at all the other 'I Wants,' I stopped in 
the shoe dept to see if anything could be done about the annoying squeak 
that had developed in my left shoe.  (I was in the Bellingham, WA. store 
and talked to Mickey.)  She said that it would NEVER go away and to 
please let her replace them!  I did, and she did.  New shoes AND a new 
sleeping bag from REI for a BUC and change.  You can't beat that with 
any stick!

I'm going outside now... no wait... no I'm not... its raining seals and 
otters... and I didn't get my pad... I'm turning off the heater now and 
climbing into my new bag inside the boat... Ahhh, comfy, cozy... Nite

It's not the Mountain that we conquer,
but Ourselves.  Anon.

Ol' Three Toes aka Chris
S/V Drifter ~~~_/)~~~
Anacortes, WA.